Category: IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Written by Mark Murphy

March 25, 2024

As a filmmaker, I have had the privilege to witness and participate in the seismic shift that has been occurring in the cinematic landscape over recent years. Independent films, once seen as the niche interest of film aficionados, have now started to gain significant traction in mainstream cinema. This trend, while surprising to some, is a testament to the evolving tastes of audiences and the increasing willingness of distributors to take a chance on unconventional narratives.

The Role of Indies

Independent films, or “indies,” as we affectionately call them, are typically characterised by their lower budgets and outside-the-box storytelling. They often diverge from the formulaic narratives that populate much of mainstream cinema, providing audiences with fresh, original content. Indies offer an avenue for new voices to be heard, providing a platform for stories that are often overlooked by Hollywood studios. They challenge the status quo, pushing boundaries and exploring themes that are frequently considered too risky or unconventional for mainstream cinema.

The Impact of Digital Technology

One of the key factors in the rise of independent films is the advent of digital technology. The digital revolution has democratised the filmmaking process, making it more accessible and affordable for filmmakers to bring their visions to life. With digital cameras and editing software becoming increasingly affordable, a new generation of filmmakers is emerging, armed with fresh perspectives and untold stories. This has resulted in a surge of creativity and innovation that is breathing new life into the film industry.

The Rise of Streaming Platforms

In addition, the rise of streaming platforms has played a significant role in the proliferation of independent cinema. Platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu have become major distributors of indie films, providing them with a global platform that was previously inaccessible. These streaming giants are actively seeking out independent films, recognizing their potential to draw in audiences and generate critical acclaim.

Audience Resonance

Moreover, independent films are resonating with audiences in a way that mainstream cinema often doesn’t. They offer fresh perspectives and tackle diverse themes, providing an alternative to the often predictable narratives of blockbuster films. Audiences are increasingly seeking out films that challenge their perceptions and offer new insights, and independent cinema is perfectly placed to meet this demand.

Cultural Shift

The rise of independent films in mainstream cinema is more than just a trend. It’s a reflection of a broader cultural shift towards diversity and inclusivity, both in the stories we tell and the people who tell them. It’s a testament to the power of storytelling and the importance of giving a voice to those who are often unheard.

As a filmmaker, witnessing this shift has been inspiring. It’s an exciting time to be part of this cinematic revolution, where the rules are being rewritten, and new voices are being amplified. There’s a sense of possibility in the air, a recognition that cinema is evolving, and independent films are leading the way.

Production for Strata’s next feature film The Camera commenced in November with pickup shots in historical Mineral Point, Wisconsin during the 15th Annual Driftless Film Festival. The story calls for scenes at a small town film festival and this was an opportunity to capture exterior and interior footage for the final edit of the movie.

Cinematographer Tate Bunker completed this round in three days, grabbing audience reactions, local merchants and customers, as well as general activity in the town over the weekend. In addition, sunrise footage over the downtown’s main street was captured by a drone. Per the script’s seasonal requirements, various exterior shots of fall foliage were also filmed.

The next phase of principal photography is scheduled for the spring/summer of 2025. Please stay tuned for further updates here at StrataFilms.net.

On November 4, 2005, George Clooney brought the black and white television news drama Good Night, and Good Luck to theaters in wide release. The film, which grossed $54 million globally, went on to be nominated for six Oscars at the 78th Academy Awards, including for best picture. The Hollywood Reporter’s original review is below:

George Clooney’s deeply felt docudrama Good Night, and Good Luck provides a snapshot of the moment in history in which a major American television personality named Edward R. Murrow took on the malevolent power of a muckraking U.S. senator named Joseph McCarthy and won.

Shot in black and white in a brisk “you are there” 90 minutes, the film, which screened in competition, lovingly re-creates the studios and backrooms of 1950s New York journalism at the CBS television network, where the men wore white shirts and dark suits, the women fetched the coffee and the morning papers and every body smoked all the time.

Clooney is the star name (as legendary producer Fred Friendly) in a fine ensemble cast featuring the previously unsung David Strathairn as Murrow, a career-defining role guaranteed to put him in the running for major awards.

Murrow is deservedly the patron saint of broadcast journalism, and it’s clear that Clooney and producer and co-writer Grant Heslov share that veneration. Moviegoers who know their American political history will respond to the film’s immediacy and forgive the film’s tight focus and narrow view. Anyone hoping for an entertaining drama about news men and politics along the lines of All the President’s Men will be disappointed.

The film is framed by an excoriating speech given by Murrow in 1958, when he was saluted by the Radio and Television News Directors Assn. Television, he said, was “fat, comfortable and complacent” and was used to “detract, delude, amuse and insulate us.” It’s a message Clooney and Heslov obviously wish to reiterate.

Murrow had become a star on radio, broadcasting from Czechoslovakia just before World War II and memorably from London during the Blitz. In the ’50s, he and his partner Friendly adapted their radio news program Hear It Now to the new medium of television. The result was titled See It Now, an evenhanded public affairs program that ran from 1951-58.

McCarthy had become notorious in 1950 for a speech in which he falsely claimed to have a list of people working for the State Department who were known to be members of the Communist Party. Later, as chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, McCarthy targeted the military in the same witchhunting manner.

Good Night flashes back to the time when McCarthyism infamously fomented by the House Un-American Activities Committee had put a clamp on freedom of expression and association in the U.S.

When Murrow and Friendly do a story on a military man whose family is falsely accused of being communist sympathizers, McCarthy — seen entirely in newsreel footage — attacks in his usual way. Murrow and Friendly respond by creating one of the most esteemed TV news shows in history, an edition of See It Now on March 9, 1954, in which McCarthy is allowed to hang himself with his own words.

Clooney and Heslov, with expert help from production designer Jim Bissel, cinematographer Robert Elswit and editor Stephen Mirrione, do a wonderful job of creating the smoky and tense environment in which Murrow and Friendly operated.

If the film fails to resonate entirely it might be that even when Murrow made his insightful speech in 1958, his observant hectoring had become viewed as pedantic. Not long afterward, he left CBS to run the U.S. Information Agency, a poacher who became a game warden. — Ray Bennett, originally published in the Sept. 2-4, 2005 issue.